Spiderman Discussion - Part III

[mama cass]

end of april happens to coincide with the 360 tour's return to north america.

yeah i know, but if the show is going to be scrapped, what exactly are they charging people to see? not previews... rehearsals perhaps? totally unethical...

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

yeah i know, but if the show is going to be scrapped, what exactly are they charging people to see? not previews... rehearsals perhaps? totally unethical...

oh i completely agree with that... just sayin'... the rumored shut down happens to line up perfectly with the time that B and E will be back in north america. hopefully that's merely a coincidence.

 

[mama cass]

maybe... we'll see...

lmfao

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

maybe... we'll see...

/thread

 

[Earnie Shavers]

"Late April for four weeks" might be close, but not quite right. "Mid April for four weeks" works perfectly with the 360 gap between SA and NA. But either way, there must be some truth to it, given that rough match to the U2 schedule. I doubt some loose/reaching perhaps Broadway focused journalist would be quite that clued in.

But then, what is going to do for the next month? Granted there has to be time to actually re-write and re-think and whatever, but still, wouldn't you just shut the fucker down immediately? What's the point in continuing to stage whatever it is now? Certainly can't be called previews if it's essentially, as of now, back in an early development phase.

On the flipside - It all sounds like something Bono would definitely do. Become the public front man? Absolutely. More hands-on engagement? Yep. Think he can take on overall creative leadership? Probably, yes. But I still can't quite believe that these Broadway old-hands who are tipping all of this cash in are, especially after all of this, going to happily make a $65m bet on Bono.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

"Late April for four weeks" might be close, but not quite right. "Mid April for four weeks" works perfectly with the 360 gap between SA and NA. But either way, there must be some truth to it, given that rough match to the U2 schedule. I doubt some loose/reaching perhaps Broadway focused journalist would be quite that clued in.

well... april 13th is a wednesday, show runs through the end of that weekend... shuts down the 20th. late april fits. but yea, i doubt the broadway writer figured that out.

 

[Irvine511]

Good to see the the wacko "Bono throws Julie Taymor under the bus" theory is gone.

um, isn't this precisely what just happened? they forced her out.

also, while this might be the dumbest thing Bono has ever done, i have to admire his balls to take this thing over.

 

[mobvok]

The New York Times has a little more background:

According to four of her colleagues, Ms. Taymor boxed herself into a corner with the producers in the last few weeks by rebuffing their requests to allow outsiders to make changes to the show. She would not meet with some of them, and she did not act on suggestions for improvements; at one feedback session with the cast, some actors argued for strengthening the central love story between Peter Parker and M. J. Watson, but Ms. Taymor insisted, “It’s there.” The Edge, Bono and the producers also expected that she would make far-reaching changes in the show’s critically panned Act II, but after attending recent performances, they concluded that she lacked the objectivity to ruthlessly reshape the show.

The ouster of any director is tumultuous for a Broadway show, but Ms. Taymor’s creative DNA is embedded especially deep in “Spider-Man,” which makes it far from clear what the show will become in Mr. McKinley’s very different creative hands. Bono and the Edge, for their part, are expected to play a greater role; one of their songs is expected to be a new Act II opener that reflects Peter Parker’s struggle between being a young man and being Spider-man. Currently the act begins with an odd-fitting ode to the greatness of Spider-man, replete with dancing clergy and Columbia University professors.

 

[mama cass]

also, while this might be the dumbest thing Bono has ever done, i have to admire his balls to take this thing over.

yeah, he seriously must have balls the size of boulders!!

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

i wonder where the constant defenders have run off to

 

[VintagePunk]

Well, Bono doesn't understand art or the creative process or artists and he has had an absolutely irrational hate for this thing from the beginning that really makes no sense in a way that is quite evil in a historically unprecedented way and he is unfairly passing judgement without having ever understood what it is when it is really real but is unfairly and irrationally only judging what he is seeing based on what he is feeling while he's not thinking because he can't because he is blinded by his inability to view the groundbreaking astral plane from an artistic and sensible way and thus Spider-man is great which should be pretty obvious to any one who is not blinded.

Ha!

If there's one thing he knows, it's that there can be balance between artistic vision and commercial viability.

also, while this might be the dumbest thing Bono has ever done, i have to admire his balls to take this thing over.

It's a big risk all right, but I think that along with the right team in place, he can do it. The show obviously has potential, but it was impossible to fulfill that potential with a director who refused to do what needed to be done.

Currently the act begins with an odd-fitting ode to the greatness of Spider-man, replete with dancing clergy and Columbia University professors.

Wtf? And this gem needed to be kept in the show?


Regarding the potential album, I still maintain, as I've thought all along, that *if* they are going to put out an album, it's already done, and its release wouldn't have been promotion-heavy anyway, so the show will have little to no effect on that. It's still very possible for him to do a few interviews or tv appearances, he's in NYC, one of the media centers of the world.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

Yeah, I'm in the same camp as VintagePunk in regards to a new U2 album. If we were meant to have one soon, we'll get it. Otherwise, we won't. This won't impact that one way or the other.

 

[BVS]

Finally a few voices of reason...

 

[PhilsFan]

Good to see the the wacko "Bono throws Julie Taymor under the bus" theory is gone. About up there with "sharing the blame" for Spiderman. And him "taking over".

Aside from the fact that Bono threw Taymor under the bus and has taken over, I too am glad the theory is gone.

 

[LemonMelon]

um, isn't this precisely what just happened? they forced her out.

In the coming weeks, I expect Adam and Larry to force Bono and Edge out as well.

Seriously, I think Bono finally saw the production and went insane. This is the only explanation.

 

[mama cass]

Bono must be in an extremely awkward situation, what with having persuaded his friends to invest huge sums of money in this thing...

personally, i'm not worried about whether Spider-Man would delay the new album... that's not my concern with Spider-Man... especially as i reckon, like some of you are saying, that if an album is indeed planned it should be done and dusted and safely in the can by now...

my worries are to do with Bono not being best qualified for this particular job, which i've ranted on about enough in these threads already... not to mention him not having the time to focus on it full-time what with him constantly being pulled in so many different directions...

i think this whole outcome is downright insane... but i have to admit, i seriously will be so impressed if he can pull this thing off... even though i do feel quite irked by it LOL

and i really do hope he can pull it off, otherwise he will be totally crucified by the press! i know he's meant to have a messiah complex, but still!

 

[corianderstem]

This is like the real life The Producers.

Aaand noooow it's .... SPRINGTIME! FOR BONO! AND IRELAAAAAND!

Yeah, I'm in the same camp as VintagePunk in regards to a new U2 album. If we were meant to have one soon, we'll get it. Otherwise, we won't. This won't impact that one way or the other.

Finally a few voices of reason...

I've been saying that for, like, three threds now.

Aside from the fact that Bono threw Taymor under the bus and has taken over, I too am glad the theory is gone.

I'm confused by what I've been seeing. I thought Taymor was still in but they'd brought in some other Broadway bigwig type of person to "help" with taking the reins?

I saw a mention that Bono would be the "public face" of the thing now, but .... is he in charge? As in ... IN CHARGE? That can't be right. Can it?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

i completely agree with those who say that if they are putting out a new album that it's done already, just being polished up, and all this mess will have no delay on any potential may release.

what i don't agree with is the idea that u2 won't do their typical massive publicity thing if and when the album is announced/released. that's the only reason why i even bring up that the rumored shutdown and retooling would happen coincide with the time in which B will be quite busy, if the rumors are true, with spidey stuffs... not to mention that i don't think he, nor the band, would want the negativity and questions surrounding spidey taking away from the album's spotlight.

i pray i'm wrong.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I'm confused by what I've been seeing. I thought Taymor was still in but they'd brought in some other Broadway bigwig type of person to "help" with taking the reins?

it's sorta like when a sports team fires their failing GM, but doesn't say that they've actually been fired, just sorta reassigned to another area in the organization... which is code for "we fired this guy but we still have to pay him 'cause of that silly contract and all"

 

[corianderstem]

If ... and that is a big-ass IF ... the album is done and was being planned for a May release, and this Spidey bullshit is potentially delaying stuff, don't you think the rest of the band would have some say in the matter?

I don't know how much control they'd have over Bono/Edge's involvement in this, but I would hope that Larry and Adam (and Paul McG and whoever else can crack a whip) would be able to lay down the line to say "No. This will not take precedence over what we already have planned."

 

[LemonMelon]

Drunken McGuinness reveals that Bono has absolutely no experience with stage production; "whether Bono knows how to save the show remains to be seen."

In a stage production gone mad, "Bono only man left with credibility."

 

[bono_212]

Yeah, I'm in the same camp as VintagePunk in regards to a new U2 album. If we were meant to have one soon, we'll get it. Otherwise, we won't. This won't impact that one way or the other.

I believed that before, but not now. If there were a new album coming out, Bono wouldn't be doing this since he'd be too busy with the U2 hype machine, imo.

 

[corianderstem]

it's sorta like when a sports team fires their failing GM, but doesn't say that they've actually been fired, just sorta reassigned to another area in the organization... which is code for "we fired this guy but we still have to pay him 'cause of that silly contract and all"

Yeah, that makes sense. But this talk about "Taymor out, Bono's in charge" is ... well, frightening.

 

[mama cass]

Yeah, that makes sense. But this talk about "Taymor out, Bono's in charge" is ... well, frightening.

extremely, yeah!

 

[corianderstem]

I believed that before, but not now. If there were a new album coming out, Bono wouldn't be doing this since he'd be too busy with the U2 hype machine, imo.

I'm still holding onto the (possibly remote) hope that they're taking a different approach this time and letting go of the "U2 hype machine" a bit.

 

[bono_212]

I'm still holding onto the (possibly remote) hope that they're taking a different approach this time and letting go of the "U2 hype machine" a bit.

Bwahahahahahahahahaha

 

[mama cass]

If ... and that is a big-ass IF ... the album is done and was being planned for a May release, and this Spidey bullshit is potentially delaying stuff, don't you think the rest of the band would have some say in the matter?

yeah, one would hope so... i would imagine Larry would go nuts!! and rightly so...

maybe it's about damage limitation though... who knows what level of risk they've exposed themselves to with this Spider-Man venture, from a financial perspective, i mean, even McGuinness is listed as a producer...

 

[corianderstem]

Bwahahahahahahahahaha

don't squash my hope!

 

[LemonMelon]

If this weren't such a circus, I would be weeping right now. Thankfully, a guy from Barnum & Bailey is here is mop up our tears.

 

[bono_212]

don't squash my hope!